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Surface morphology study of recrystallization dynamics of amorphous ZnO layers prepared on different substrates

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Abstract

Amorphous oxides-based devices are exposed, during fabrication, to different processing conditions affecting their properties. Zinc oxide is a prospective candidate for transparent amorphous oxides, but its structure is changing under the influence of temperature. We investigated surface recrystallization of amorphous zinc oxide layers deposited onto fused silica, sapphire and Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The prepared three series of layers had highly nonequilibrium phase structures. Using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the effect was studied of subsequent annealing at 200, 400, 600, 800 °C for 60 min upon the surface structural properties of the layers. The following parameters were analyzed: average roughness, RMS roughness and size of formed grains on selected places with 1 × 1 μm2 area. Surface structural analysis revealed that annealing led to recrystallization of the prepared layers and roughening of the structural features on the surface. With increasing annealing temperature, the calculated parameters were increasing. The average surface roughness of zinc oxide layers annealed at 800 °C is three times higher than that of the layers annealed at lower temperatures for all substrates used. The process dynamics of thermally caused recrystallization of the layers was different for each of the substrates used.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic No. VEGA-1/0907/13 and by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract No. APVV-0424-10.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Laser Centre, Ilkovičova 3, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovak Republic

    Daniel Haško, Jaroslav Bruncko & František Uherek

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  1. Daniel Haško
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  2. Jaroslav Bruncko
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  3. František Uherek
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Correspondence to Daniel Haško.

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Haško, D., Bruncko, J. & Uherek, F. Surface morphology study of recrystallization dynamics of amorphous ZnO layers prepared on different substrates. Appl. Phys. A 117, 1353–1358 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8555-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8555-4

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